Why We Need To Stop Taking Things For Granted

Why We Need To Stop Taking Things For Granted

We are all so much more fortunate than we give ourselves credit for. We constantly preoccupy ourselves with thoughts of things we don't have and experiences we are missing out on.

We need to learn to be appreciative and grateful for everything we have and everything we are going to receive. If we all stopped for a moment and looked around us, we would find endless things we have that others are not as fortunate to have. People complain constantly about having an outdated model of a car or phone when we should just be grateful we have these things in the first place.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

You really do not know how good you have it until it's gone. In relationships, people tend to get too comfortable and as a result become bored and complacent. This can result in infidelity and the destruction of the relationship itself. Only until after the relationship has been ruined does this person realize the terrible, irreversible mistake they have made. At this point it is too late; this person failed to realize how fortunate they were and as a result destroyed what they loved.

People get in life-altering accidents everyday. Look at the Boston bombing massacre, participants had no idea their lives were about to change forever. If you take something for granted, you don't worry or think about it because you assume you will always have it. Some of these people will never have the ability to walk again, something we take for granted on a daily basis. Tragedies like this make us re-examine our lives.

“Never take someone you love for granted. Hold every person close to your heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones.”

Shouldn't we just be happy we have food on the table and a roof over our heads? So many people in the world would do anything for these things, but we still complain everyday that we do not have enough.

We take advantage of the people in our lives, like our friends and family. We make the fatal mistake of assuming that these people will just be there for us without providing extra effort. A person who is not grateful toward their parents is one who has taken their love for granted.

“Learn to appreciate what you have before time makes you appreciate what you had.”

This is a natural occurrence that happens to everyone in his or her life. It is a default mode we all get into when we become complacent in different aspects of our lives. We need to regain the consciousness of the things in life we have become so accustomed to. Imagine how hard life would be if we didn't have access to the Internet or to food or to clean drinking water. When you make yourself aware of how blessed you really are, that is when you learn to appreciate the “little” things in life.

Life is too short to waste our time thinking about what we do not have. We obviously can survive without them; we have made it this far. Things do not make us happy, it is how we feel within ourselves that really matters. What you get out of life depends entirely upon your attitude. The things that truly provide happiness are usually right in front of us. What we need to do it continuously remind ourselves where we'd be without them.

“Never fail to appreciate someone who cares for you. Just because they're always in your life to help in some way, never fail to give thanks or recognition. To value someone or something too lightly is a risk no one should take.”

In order to achieve wanting only the things and people that you have you need to look into the positive things you gain from having these people or things around you. The things you take for granted are the things others are praying for.

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Ashley Fern is the second most veteran female staff member of Elite Daily. She started off as a Senior Lifestyle Writer and is now our Director of Branded Social Strategy. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @disco_infern0!

Ashley Fern is the second most veteran female staff member of Elite Daily. She started off as a Senior Lifestyle Writer and is now our Director of Branded Social Strategy. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @disco_infern0!